1) Factory or Outsourcing?

When you’re looking for an invention company, one of the most important things to check is whether the company will be building your invention in-house or whether it will be outsourced. A lot of invention building companies tend to outsource the bulk of the building work to a factory across the country and sometimes even across the world. They typically do this to save money on production costs, which may make them seem appealing as the cost will likely be lower for you as well. But this savings comes at a price.

Companies that outsource tend to be less customer-service friendly as there will be a constant back and forth between the customer, the sales company, and the outsourced production company. This means if you have a question or concern, it will likely take days or even weeks for the company to get back to you with an answer. And, because the company itself isn’t directly overseeing the invention process, there can be a ‘telephone effect’ where you tell this company what you want and then, when they communicate it second-hand, it doesn’t result in the outcome you expected. As a general rule, look for a company that does its inventing work in-house.

2) Getting products in store and on shelves

Another important thing to look at is a company’s ability to get inventions on the shelves of stores. Once you’re finished going through the actual production process, a lot of product development companies will leave you high and dry. Many may be able to create your invention, but there are very few that will help you with what comes after the invention is completed. Those next steps can be scary and difficult to navigate. When you’re looking for a company to build your invention, see what they can do to help you in the next steps.

3) Prototyping

When you’re choosing a product development company, have them take you through their process from signed contract to the completed invention. It’s important to make sure they’ve included one crucial step: Prototyping. For those unfamiliar, prototyping is the step in which one makes an early sample or model of a product or invention to act as an example or something to be learned from. This step is crucial because it’s the time to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Without this step, your invention will likely not look or function as you envisioned it.

4) Customer Service

This is another aspect to keep in mind as you’re having a company walk through their product development system. It’s important to know how heavily involved you’ll be in their process. Ideally, you’ll work with a company that involves you in the procedure each step of the way, rather than a company with a more hands-off approach. If the company isn’t willing to take the time to talk with you in detail about your invention throughout the process, you run the risk of them building a product that wasn’t at all like what you had envisioned. So, when you call companies, you should not only make sure you ask about your involvement throughout the process but also make sure you like the people you speak with.

5) Confidentiality

This is one of the more common fears for inventors: how do I know my idea is safe? It’s absolutely crucial that you make sure whichever company you choose to work with takes measures to ensure your confidentiality is protected. This typically involves a confidentiality agreement of some sort between yourself and the company as a whole. However, some companies take the extra measure of making each of their employees sign a confidentiality agreement as well upon hiring. Both of these measures ensure that you’re working with a trustworthy company and that your idea is safe from those with unsavory business practices.

6) Awards/Proof of Excellence

This step isn’t absolutely necessary, but it is helpful to have further proof of a company’s good track record aside from their word. Knowing they’ve won awards or even seeing some good reviews is a way to further make certain that you’ll be in good hands. There are several different awards that a product development company could have won or been nominated for. For example, it may be helpful to see if they’ve ever won or been nominated for an International Design Excellence award, which is an awards program co-sponsored by Businessweek Magazine and the International Designers Society of America.

Summary: Questions to Ask Product Development Companies

1) Do you build your inventions in-house or do you outsource them to another company?
2) Have you gotten products in stores?
3) Take me through your inventing process. Do you prototype inventions?
4) How involved will I be throughout the inventing process?
5) Is my invention idea protected? If so, what steps do you take to protect it?
6) Have you won any awards? Or do you have any other proof of your expertise?

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Do you have a better understanding of things that make an invention company a good one? Are you comfortable with looking for the invention company that is right for you? Check out what kind of inventor you are by clicking our link below!

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“It’s really great that they won the awards, especially since they’re picked by retailers,” said Davison’s Vice-President of Licensing. “They were up against competition from all the big names in the pet industry and they took first and third place — that’s a pretty good day at the office.”

Photos and write-ups of both products, along with their placements in the contest, are featured in this month’s PPNI issue. The president of Hugs Pet Products said he was blown away when he heard about the awards.

“This is awesome and huge for our company. It shows that all of the hard work we have done to bring new, different and innovative products to the pet market is paying off. We will continue to strive to do this with future products we are currently developing. It is truly an honor to be selected out of great companies and products on the market. We are very excited!” he said.

Formerly known as the Low-Pro, Davison designed the Better Tether in collaboration with our client, Ed, to offer a more humane and convenient way to tether a dog outdoors. The innovative tethering device provides a constant source of food and water that cannot be spilled and never has to be moved for the lawnmower!

The Silicone Dog Treat Pan, a spin-off of the Silicone Dessert Bar Pan that Davison designed in collaboration with our client, Joseph, allows pet owners to make dog-bone-shaped treats for their canine companions. It even comes with several paw-lickin’ good recipes!

Undoubtedly, getting these products developed and to market was a team effort. From the client to the corporate design teams, many people had a hand in their success.

“I am happy to hear that these products are winning such acclaim,” said Davison’s Corporate Creative Coach. “I’m proud of the team for sure. I bet the clients will be pumped to hear the news! It’s a nice piece of outside confirmation that these products are as awesome as we all think they are.”

Congratulations to everyone who worked on these awesome, award-winning products!

A typical project does not get a royalty agreement, sell in stores or generate a profit.

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Choosing the best “Rube Goldberg Machine” built by local high school students at the Chain Reaction Contraption Contest at Carnegie Science Center was not easy, but Davison’s VP of Design, Pete, and designer, Clay, were up to the task. They chose the “Gator Vendomator” created by a team from Gateway High School to win the “What Will You Create?” award sponsored by Davison. The contraption made change for a dollar bill in 22 steps using a series of levers.

“It was a really neat machine, with a lot of complicated mechanisms,” said Pete. “If they could automatically reset it, people would be putting dollars into it all day long.”

For winning the award, the winning team and their honors physics classmates were given a tour of Davison’s unique design facility, Inventionland. Gifted coordinator, Jim, thought it was “a once in a lifetime experience” for his students, who “like to think outside the box,” to see how engineering and creativity go hand in hand.

“This is a perfect example of engineering and creativity coming together; I’ve always encouraged that.”

The teacher was hoping his students would be inspired by the visit to pursue their interests in the field of engineering and science; he also thought seeing that they don’t necessarily have to work in a dull office would encourage them.

“Students associate engineering with sitting in an office doing boring work; seeing a place that looks like this can alter their perception,” said Jim. “And having a place like this in Pittsburgh – it’s a treasure, and it’s appropriate because of Pittsburgh’s history of inventing.”

Several students in the class are interested in engineering and “a number of them are just extremely creative. They tend to attack a problem from a different level,” said Lynn, gifted coordinator.

“When we opened up the tour many of them jumped at the chance to come. Having these opportunities out there in the work force, not just the standard engineering job, is inspiring for them — especially in Western Pennsylvania,” she continued. “To have it so close to home and to have the opportunity to see it is an inspiration for the kids to pursue something like this.”

Pete is looking forward to seeing more inventive creations and “chain reaction contraptions” at the next Carnegie Science Center competition — It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.

“It’s really neat to see the inventions of young people. There was a lot of competition this year,” Pete said. “Every year it gets better and better.”

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The Oil Filter Gripper, first licensed in 1993 by Flo Tools International, was one of the first major successful products we designed for our clients. Myles and Lisa hired Davison to research, redesign and develop the innovative tool, which went on to win a bronze IDEA (Industrial Design Excellence Award) in the Consumer Products / Professional Tools category in 1996. 

The Oil Filter Gripper has had a great run and, after 17 years, it is still on the market and going strong. The product, which was designed by Davison’s VP of Inventegration, enables do-it-yourselfers to easily and neatly remove a hot and dirty oil filter.

As can be seen on its product page, the Oil Filter Gripper is now sold by Auto Alley through Amazon.com, and it is still licensed by Flotool / Hopkins Mfg. Corp., which also continues to show it at trade shows, such as the AAPEX (Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo). 

Myles has changed a little over the years, but he is still a big fan of Davison and our unique 9-step process that turned his dream into a reality. The Oil Filter Gripper, like the Davison Method, certainly has stood the test of time!

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The popular Dog Wash and Hydro Bone that we created for Hugs Pet Products continue to gain a lot of fans — including top experts in the field. Both are winners of a 2010 DOG FANCY Editors’ Choice Award! They are among 16 winners (#2 and #5) featured in “Gear of the Year,” top picks of the best new dog products, as chosen by editors of Dog Fancy, “the world’s most widely read dog magazine.”

The editors stated in the just-released issue that they chose “the most wag-worthy goods that make owners’ lives easier and dogs’ lives better.” “Each product earned our seal of approval by offering innovative solutions to everyday problems or giving new life to an old idea,” they explained.

“It’s a great award to win, especially with hundreds of entries, and not only to win one award, but two,” said Davison’s VP of Licensing. “It’s a good accomplishment not only for Hugs but for Davison as well.”

The Editors’ Choice logo has been added to the product pages for the Hydro Bone and Dog Wash, a client product, so check out these award-winning Davison innovations!

Congratulations to all who worked on these awesome products!

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